I have had my RX8 for about 3 months, it has about 6000 m on it, and i just noticed that in the past couple of days my car is emiting a wierd burning plastic smell when i turn it off, although i guess it could still be there when im driving, i just cant smell it...but anyways it hasnt had this smell before, and im moderatly worried...any help???

 

did you add oil and forget to reattach your engine cover?may be it's getting lodged between your belt or something in the engine bay and being melted....

 

I've noticed this occasionally also, and thought it may be connected with the heater. But I'm in the winter cold and sometimes have the heater temp set to max. HoneyRed may not use the heater much in Savannah. I can't offer an answer at this point.

 

someone awhile ago drove over a plastic bag and on the way under the car it stuck to the exhaust and muffler and melted to it. check under your car.

 

A funny smell is emitted also when you burn the clutch by revving too high while the clutch is partially engaged. Happend to me a few times .

 

If you can, check your exhaust system. You may have caught piece of plastic bag or something that is melting on it. It happened to me last week or so when I was driving to home when a big piece of industrial type wrapping got caught in the muffler. At the begining there was a lot of smoke comming out and of couse the smell of burning/melting plastic. Once at home I tryed to remove most of by using a heat gun. But up to this day I still smell some of the buning plastic.

 

Are you sure it's not an oil smell? That what I have noticed in the last coupld of days. I've only had mine a week now, but I've managed about 950 on the odometer. I don't know what it is either, but I'ld sure like to know.

 

It runs richer than most cars. It could be the oil smell. It has a wierd smell I'm not used to. I have also had that smell E-man is referring to, this is my first manual

 

I've had the clutch smell too. I didn't think I had let it slip that much either. That goes away though. The oil smell seems to persist. I'm going to change my oil this weekend anyway. I'll see what I can find.

 

Ditto on the plastic bag possibility. Been driving for 37 years. Usually watch a plastic bag go under the front and see it shoot out the back in the rear view mirror. Last weekend one didn't shoot out the back. It was hung up on the cat. conv. and has been stinking all week.

 

I also had the plastic bag experience, and that plastic tends to stick around the cat conv for quite some time. I posted about it in the Australian part of the forum about 3 mths ago.

Also, the 8, in common with all rotaries, does burn a little bit of oil as part of normal combustion, and means its exhaust has a slightly different smell to other cars

 

what you are describing is the grease that is on the stainless steel parts of the exhaust system. when manufactured these parts have a layer of oil or grease on them. it takes some time for it to all burn off. i was still occasionally smelling it at 3k miles or later.

 

thanks. i dont know what it is, but im not too worried. i heard that these cars can let out wierd smells at times and is nothing to worry about(?) but i will definatly check out that plastic bag thing

 

Same issues with a plastic bag for me too! I highly doubt we will ever see a TSB on RX-8s eating plastic bags though

 

The hard part of commenting on this is that people have so many ways of describing smells. When I think of a "burning plastic" smell, I start thinking electrical. Burnt electrical wiring or components have a distinctly acrid smell. A very memorable odor, and different from the factory "stuff" that slowly burns off the exhaust pieces. There are a number of very specific "car smells"

The fluids, of course - easy to know what the puddle is if you're familiar with all the smells.

-gasoline (obvious)
-antifreeze (glycol/sweet)
-engine oil (dark/smoky/sooty/faint gasoline)
-auto transmission fluid (I forget!)
-power steering fluid (none for us!)
-transmission/differential gear oil (sulfur)
-hydraulic brake fluid (like antifreeze but more musky)
-battery acid (faint sulfur)

and some other "use/abuse" smells
-burning rubber (tires or drive belts - acrid but sweet...thick)
-overtaxed brake/clutch linings (smoky/sweet/pungent/resin)
-oil smoke (leaking on exhaust system or engine burning excess oil)
-burning plastic (acrid, sickly sweet)
-electrical short (similar to plastic, somewhat more acrid sometimes with an incense component (burning flux? - pcb involvement))

the nice ones
-"new car smell" (maybe not so nice it's outgassing of volatile components from plastics and paint)
-leather
-Car wax (some of them!)

I think this melange of aromas is a significant part of our fascination with automobiles.